Canada manufacturing sales up more than expected in Sept

Sales up in 12 of 21 industries, though transportation equipment sector leads the way

REUTERS/Fred Thornhill

Nov 16, 2016

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OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian manufacturing sales rose more than expected in September, though that was driven largely by gains in the transportation equipment sector and an increase in overall prices, data from Statistics Canada showed on Wednesday.

The 0.3 per cent increase topped economists' expectations for a gain of 0.1 per cent, even as it marked a slowdown from August's hefty 0.9 per cent increase.

The volume of goods sold in September, which strips out the effect of changes in price and is watched by economists, declined 0.2 per cent.

Although sales were up in 12 out of 21 industries, a 1.5 per cent increase in the transportation equipment sector accounted for more than 85 per cent of the total gain in manufacturing sales.

The forward-looking new orders measure rose 2.3 per cent on increases in the transportation equipment and machinery sectors. Inventories also rose 0.5 percent, with increased stocks seen in the transportation equipment, food and chemical industries.

Statistics Canada revised seasonally adjusted data for sales, inventories and orders going back to January 2011, while the unadjusted figures were revised back to January 2013.